lee_eisenberg

I recently took a week-long tour of Ireland. One of the places that I went to was the Museum of Emigration. It mostly focused on the Potato Famine and how the starvation drove a large number of people off the island, but also on Ireland's history since then. One room had a short film addressing the country's own mistreatment of unwed mothers (as well as gays).

Well then, it's probably appropriate that I've now gotten around to seeing Stephen Frears's Academy Award-nominated "Philomena". This look at a woman's decades-long effort to find out what happened to her out-of-wedlock son is as energizing as it is heartbreaking. Judi Dench and Steve Coogan put on excellent performances.

Anyway, it's good to know that Ireland has moved on from its days of forced adoptions, and is willing to acknowledge the ugly side of its history. Every country should do so, and every person should see this movie.

One of the many expansions of the Marvel Comics Universe gives Kathryn Hahn the lead role that she had long deserved. "Agatha All Along" takes place after the events of "WandaVision", with a now powerless Agatha Harkness assembling a coven to brave the Witches' Road. While addressing a variety of themes, it manages to hold the viewer's attention by developing each major character. I would never have predicted some of what happens.

No, it's not a great series, but it is a clever one. I would not have expected a Marvel production to give a side character the complexity that this one has given Agatha, as well as the other characters. It's good to see that Hahn, as well as Aubrey Plaza, Debra Jo Rupp, Patti LuPone, Sasheer Zamata and Ali Ahn finally got the sorts of roles that they should have years ago. A fine miniseries.

Zydeco is one of the examples of roots music. Arising in rural Louisiana, this fusion of blues and Cajun just makes you want to dance. Robert Mugge's documentary "The Kingdom of Zydeco" looks at a contest taking place between zydeco masters Boozoo Chavis and Beau Jocque. These guys and their backup groups really know their stuff. They play like you can't imagine. The variety of instruments creates an inimitable sound. It just goes to show that the southeast region truly created the best music to come out of the United States. Definitely check out the documentary (I don't know if it's available on any streaming service, so you might have to check a local video store). That I'm the first person reviewing it shows that more people need to see it.